The 15-year period of the Millennium Development Goals is due to expire in two years’ time. Good progress has been made in respect of some goals, while progress in some countries in respect of other goals has been disappointing. So, what should the main plan be for global development over the next 15 years, and should new goals be set to update or replace the Millennium Development Goals?

An important preliminary question might be: who gets to set the goals? Apparently, the world’s poor were not consulted in the formulation of the Millennium Development Goals. Subsequent research reveals that the primary concern for people in the developing world is household income, including ensuring a reliable income, being able to pay for food, education and healthcare, and being able to start a small business.

The United Nations has convened a High Level Panel to recommend a new set of development goals. The Panel met in Liberia last month, and is due to meet in Indonesia this month. The ONE campaign is seeking to give the poor a voice, and has set up a free SMS platform in South Africa which enables Africans to express their views.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 14th, 2013 at 8:00 am and is filed under Poverty. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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